Folfirin

Hi Brigitte,

It is nice to hear from you.  Has your doctor advised starting Folfiri?

If you search the chemo name on the discussion board search engine, you can find some patient stories.  Folfiri (for any readers not familiar) is a chemo cocktail that involves folinic acid, fluorouracil and irinotecan.  Folinic acid is a vitamin added to some chemo regimens to reduce side effects and it is thought to boost chemo effectiveness.  Fluorouracil is also called 5FU and is a chemo, as is the irinotecan.

Folfiri is a second line chemo regimen sometimes recommended for cholangiocarcinoma patients for whom the first round of chemo (usually gem-cis) has lost effectiveness.   It usually involves a combination of infusion at the oncology center plus a pump that comes home with the patient.  The pump continues administering the 5FU over about two days.  The pump is small and is carried in a pack that looks like a shoulder handbag, so it does not unduly interfere with daily activities.  From what I have read in patient and caregiver reports, experiences with Folfiri vary a lot, with some patients having light side effects and others finding Folfiri to be more harsh.  For many patients, Folfiri can be effective at controlling our cancer.

Hopefully if you pursue Folfiri treatment, it will do its job for you and keep the cancer well controlled.  Please let us know how you are doing.

Take care, regards, Mary